Oil well pump



R. J. HOWARD OIL WELL PUMF` Sept. 5, 1939.

Original Filed Nov. lO, 193,6

FIGT

File.; I'

Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE Substitute forabandoned application Serial No. 110,079, November 10, 1936. Thisapplication February 1, 1939, Serial No. 254,084

4 Claims.

This invention relates to oil well pumps of the type wherein the oil islifted from the well by a plunger and check valve means and moreparticularly to pumps which do not require an inner conduit from thepump to the top of the Well, and the principal object of the inventionis to provide a device of this character wherein means are provided forreadily lowering and raising the apparatus through columns of oil andthus saving time and expense by eliminating resistance due to the vacuumwhich is created when the assembly is withdrawn from the well.

A further object of the invention is to produce in a device of thischaracter a trip and by-pass which will operate automatically when theentire apparatus is lifted. Other objects of the invention are toprovide a device which can be manufactured economically, one which isrelatively simple to install and operate, as well as affording a pumpwhich is durable and eiicient.

These and other objects are made manifest in the following descriptionof one form of my invention when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, wherein;

Figure l is a vertical view of the entire assembly with the casing andworking barrel in sec- Y tion and other parts in elevation andfragments.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of theinvention, and y Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional View of the lowerportion.

With reference to the. drawing, the numeral I designates an oil wellcasing in which the device operates. On the lowermost end of the polishrod 2 there is threaded a cage 3 which supports and partially encloses acheck valve 4. Io the bottom of the cage 3 there is threaded a piston orplunger 5 whose lowermost end is threaded to receive lock nuts 6 whichsecure the seating rings I and the sleeve rings 8 between the annularshoulder 9 and the said lock nuts. There is a passage I0 through theplunger, the function ofwhich will be presently described. The shouldersI I also perform an important function which will be disclosed as thedescription progresses.

Near the top of the device is a head I2 which is substantially conicalin its lower part and is comparatively small at its top, the said smallportion being provided with slips I3 designed to accommodate fishingtools (not shown) and thus, should the device become disconnected fromthe sucker rod 2 for any reason, the device can be retrieved.

Through opposing sides of the head I 2, and between the conical portionand the upper small- (Cl. 10S-221) er portion, ports I4 are provided forthe passage of oil, the said ports also serving as openings forassembling the device. Between the uppermost part of the head I2 and thepolish rod 2 a bushing I5,-which is rigid with the head I2 duev to itshaving been inserted under pressure, slidably contacts the polish rod 2.

Below the bushing I 5 there is another bushing I6 whose lowermost end isprovided with an integral annular shoulder Il, the lower periphery ofwhich is recessed to receive a spring I8. A disc valve I9, whose uppersurface is recessed to receivethe spring I Il,r is urged away from thebushing IB by the tension of the said spring and aids in retaining thevalve I 9 against its seat.

A flanged sleeve valve is located immediately below the disc valve I9,the lower periphery of the flange resting on the shoulder 0L` of thehead I2. Between the sleeve valve 20 and the head I2 there is a cavity2| which extends downwardly to `a series of ports 22, said ports openinginto another cavity 23. Near the bottom of the cavity 2I, a ring seat24, which is integral with the sleeve valve 20, securely seals thebottom of the said cavity. To the bottom of the thimble valve 20 thereis threaded a mandrel 25 which is slidably mounted in an annular recess26, the said recess accommodating a spring 2'I which urges the mandreldownwardly by pressing against the mandrel shoulder 28.

Surrounding the conical portion of the head I2 is a cylindrical washeror packing cup 29 which contacts the head I2 and the casing I and issupported in the thimble 30, as illustrated in Figure 2. A series ofports 3| in the thimble 30 form conduits between the cavity 23 and thechamber 32 which is below the packing 29 and within the wall of thecasing I. An annular shoulder 33, which is integral with the thimble30,supports the lower end of the head I2, and immediately below the saidshoulder a working barrel 34 is threaded to the thimble 30. Y

Within and near the upper end of the working barrel 34 there is a piston35 the lower end of which has piston rings 36 and slidably contacts theinner Walls of the working barrel 34, whereas the upper portion of thesaid piston is smaller than its lower portion and thereby forming ashoulder at b. The uppermost end of the piston 34 is threaded to thelowermost end of the head I2, and the inner wall of the said pistonslidably contacts the mandrel 25, the said mandrel extending a shortdistance below the said piston.

Threaded upon the working barrel 34, and belowv the lower end of theplunger A5, when saidl plunger is in its lowest position, there is acheck valve 31 whose function is to sustain oil in the working barreluntil acted upon by the said plunger. Immediately below the check valve31 a string of perforated tubing 38 is connected be` tween the checkvalve and the floor of the well to support the assembly.

In operation the entire apparatus is lo-Wered into the well until theperforated tubing 38 rests upon the well floor. Since the tubing 38supports in turn the working barrel 34, the thimble 30 and the packing29, the apparatus comes to rest at a level determined by the lengthV ofthe tubing 38. By reason of the fact that the piston is slidable withinthe working barrel 34, and because the piston 35 is connected to thehead I2 and, since the latter is of a conical shape at its lower end,this member with the piston 35 recede within the packing cup 29 by theirown weightY and cause a seal between the said head and the casing I.

In the regular pumping operation the plunger 5 works with a verticallyreciprocating motion in a column of oil within the working barrel SII.On a down stroke ofthe plunger 5 oil passes through the passage III,past the check valve 4 and to the upper side of the plunger 5, the checkvalve 31 sustaining the oil within the working barrel. On the up strokeof the plunger 5, the oil is urged toward the head I2 and a Vacuum iscreated below the check valve within the working barrel 34, causing theoil to pass the check valve 31 and enter the working barrel 3Q, the oiltherein being sustained in readiness for the next downward stroke.

The oil that has been urged upwardly by the plunger passes within themandrel 25 and reaches the disc valve I9, raises the same and enters thewell casing I above the packing cup 29 after passing through the portsI4 of the head I2. The oil cannot flow back into the mandrel because thedisc valve I9 is urged to its seat on the sleeve valve 2i) by thetension of the spring I8. Consequently the oil is urged upwardly withinthe casing I, above the packing cup 29 to the top of the well.

'I'o withdraw the assembly from the well the sucker rod 2, which extendsfrom the top of the well, is drawn upwardly and the shoulders II of thecage 3 raise the mandrel 25, which extends below the piston 35 and liftsthe said mandrel until the outer portion of the shoulder II is incontact with the lower end of the piston 35. When the mandrel 25 israised it unseats the sleeve valve 20 and raises the said sleeve valvefrom the shoulder a allowing oil above the packing cup 29 to flow withinthe cavity 2l and thence downwardly through the ports 22 into the cavity23, thence through the ports 3I and into the well casing below thepacking cup 29, thus eliminating the vacuum created when lifting theassembly.

As the shoulders II of the cage 3 contact Vthe lower part of the piston35, the piston rises until the shoulder by engages the lower end of theshoulder 33. In this operation, since the head I2 is rigidly connectedwith the piston 35, the former is lifted from the packing cup 29. As thesucker rod 2 continues to move upwardly, by reason of the engagement ofthe shoulder b with the shoulder 33, the entire assembly is lifted fromthe well, and oil is allowed to by-pass into the lower part of the wellcasing I.

Since the form of the construction hereinabove described is capable ofchanges and modification without departing from the intent of theinvention, the device is not limited to such speciiic structure exceptas hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

l. In an oil well pump for raising fluid through the 'casing and havinga conventional working barrel, a piston therein, and a polish rod foroperating the same, and also having a packing supported from the bottomof the well and an inverted conical head cooperating with the saidpacking for supporting the pump assembly, the combination of a discvalve mounted within the said head and over the polish rod of the saidassembly, a sleeve valve positioned below the said disc valve andproviding passage around the said polish rod, drain ports through thesaid head and beneath the said packing providing communication betweenthe said passage and the interior of the casing, a mandrel secured tothe said sleeve lvalve and extending within the working barrel of thesaid pump assembly, a piston for cooperation with the said workingbarrel rigidly fixed to the said head and means positioned near thelower end of the said polish rod for cooperation with the said mandrel.

Y 2. In a casing pump having a supported packing and head member withinthe casing and a pumping assembly having a conventional working barrel,a piston therein, and a polish rod supported by the said packing, thecombination of a disc valve mounted within the said head member andconnecting the working barrel of the said assembly with the uppercasing, a lsleeve valve positioned below the said disc valve andcooperating with drain ports through the said head and beneath the saidpacking, for communication with the lower chamber of the said casing, apiston rigidly xed to the lower portion of the said head for cooperationwith the working barrel of the said assembly, a mandrel rigidly attachedto the said sleeve valve and extending below the said piston, meanspositioned near the lower end of the said polish rod for engaging thesaid mandrel and opening the said sleeve and disc valves.

3. In a well pump for raising oil through the casing and having apacking and a head supported within the said casing and having a pumpingassembly including a conventional working barrel, a piston therein, anda polish rod for operating the same, a valve system within the saidpumping assembly comprising a spring actuated disc within the head ofthe said pumping assembly and positioned around a polish rod, a sleeveValve positioned within the said head for communication through` portsVin the said head and beneath the said packing to the lower portion ofthe said casing, a mandrel attached to the lower end of the said sleevevalve, a piston for cooperation with the working barrel of the saidpumping assembly attached to the said head, a passage within the saidmandrel and the said sleeve valve for communicating the chamber of thesaid working barrel and the said disc valve, shoulders mounted on thelower end of the said polish rod for cooperation with the said sleevevalve through the medium of the said mandrel.

4. In a casing pump having a pumping assembly comprising a conical headfor cooperation with a casing packing, a conventional working barrel, apiston therein, and a polish rod for operating thel same, a valve systemcomprising a spring actuated disc positioned within the said head andaround the said polish rod, a sleeve valve having shoulders positionedwithin the said head for communication with ports through the said headand beneath the said packing for communication between the lower andupper portions of the said casing, a mandrel fixed to the lower portionof the said sleeve valve and extending into the working barrel of thesaid pumping assembly, a piston for cooperation with the Walls of thesaid working barrel rigidly fixed to the lower portion of the said head,shoulders positioned near the lower end of the said piston forcooperation with a packing support for withdrawing the assembly from thewell, valve tripping means comprising shoulders positioned near thelower end of the said sucker rod, extension of the said mandrel belowthe said piston, connection between the said mandrel and the said sleevevalve for raising the said sleeve valve, and valve closing meanscomprising a spring positioned above the said mandrel and cooperatingwith the said head.

RONALD J. HOWARD.

Cil

